Always fun to try someone else's equipment. Bucket was way too big for stumps and really needs a thumb. Thanks for sharing and try not to spend too much money at the expo.
That excavator would be a stumping machine if it had a stump bucket and a thumb. You could load your hauling truck in no time not to mention the amount of dirt you could move in a day.
Keep in mind what Mike was working through in his mind moving up to a bigger machine. Talking about dirt perfect. Bigger is not always better. On the other hand I believe he gotta mobile 210 that was a demo. God bless
@@paulprigge1209 but if Chris’s trucker doesn’t pull permits like he said he doesn’t then that doesn’t matter. Just need a trailer that can handle it and projects large enough to use it.
Old video just popped up, you’d think they’d be bad for pond work, but 349, 352, and 490 komatsu’s are all we use for getting on and cleaning out fly ash ponds lol
Good to see you having a well earned rest but you never venture far from a piece of machinery loved it can't wait to see the rest of that behind the scenes pond repair job you filmed well I saw in the last month
What I run at least a every few weeks. They have by far the best swing motors around, as I work in steep terrain I can say they can swing up hill with a overfull bucket.
349s are great machines! I've run my fair share digging retention ponds and doing drainage, They can move a lot of dirt extremely fast. 2 nice heaping buckets and tandems are busting at the seams.
I just watched a video (C'mon homesteading) dig a very big pine stump with a backhoe on a Mahindra tractor. Bigger might be better for some things but smaller to me is more versatile. Keep on getting it Chris. Love all your videos. 👍👍 Enjoy the Expo. We all need opposable thumbs.
That's it , just pull up on a jobsite in ya Flip Flops and jump on a Big ass Kitty Cat !! lololl...Hell, I'm 6'4 myself, that's one Big Ass Bucket !! Dammit Man ...lolololol... I think the Volvo fits ya better Chris..... Boy , if that one had a thumb on it, would put it in another class of getting things moved in a hurry !! lolol... Great as always Chris !!Have a Great Evening Man, And, On too the Next !!
I’d like to see how they are going to load brush out without a thumb! I think the 220 with the stumper worked better, and likely half the fuel consumption as well! Bigger is not always better. (At least that’s what I tell the wife).
That bucket is like trying to thread a needle with a sledge hammer! Great for dirt, difficult for stumps. A 36 bucket with a thumb is the answer. My .02. 🤟
that big honking bucket seems to make more stump hole vs your bucket. that Cat must be a beast for clearing. wouldve been interesting to see how a Cat 394E handled the vet clinic project from the get go. Chris just cant help himself; if there is a machine to run, he will
He may be sick of stumping but there's always playtime. Especially when it's someone else's. That's a weird way to relax but hey, it's still fun times.
I was very amazed that the 349 had a little bit of a struggle with the first stump l as big as that machine is , I thought it would pop them stumps right out 🧐 ( but I was wrong)
Too far away, he’s losing breakout force. Plus he’s pulling over a corner, not dead straight over his idlers which isn’t the most stable. I’m usually impressed with this guys skill set but not this time. Plus all the guys crying it needs a thumb is baffling to me
@@knuttsackjones3094 you must not own/or run a machine with a thumb...because once you have one, you always wished you had it...unless you're doing strictly earthmoving projects. But anytime you're clearing land, doing demo, etc... it just comes in so handy.
349 is a big excavator, looks kind of naked without a thumb on it, but, couldn’t imagine the size of the thumb for the application and with a bucket that size I would doubt a need for it. Thanks for the ride along sir.
hey when you get the teeth under a root or the whole stump push down on the boom at the same time your curling the bucket. the curl function is much stronger than boom up so your robbing power by pulling up on the boom. also the machine will rock a lot less if you keep the back of the bucket anchored to the ground. also try getting closer to the stump that will reduce the moment arm giving you more leverage and less rocking. thanks for the great videos I've learned a lot from watching you. mike
@@knuttsackjones3094 I’m sure the man that’s been filming videos of himself stumping for 10 years knows how to pull them out, he was just having fun not trying to be absolute perfect
I might have been impressed with that Cat if I hadn't been watching you on that Volvo the last few years . I wouldn't swap your Volvo for two of those Cats . I guess it would be super if you were digging the Suez canal .
That was Great - trying out another Machine - hey - why not ???!!!! Huge Bucket indeed and nice Looking Machine ! You Guys had Fun and thats the Main Thing ! Great Video and many Cheers from us in Australia !!!!
Really big machine with a huge bucket. Digging & loading a haul truck, it would be in it’s element. I think your 220 was just as good. Put a stumper on it though & that would probably be a different result. Take care Chris & cheers 🐨🦘🥰
Doesn't matter the machine, you are still the best. Kyle may be familiar with Cats but you still work that bucket better. Looks like you guys had fun and wowza that bucket is huge.
Wish I'd get a thumbs up button.. not so sure clicking the number of likes counts as it is in the spot the button would be.. anyway 👍👍 great video.. it must be great to have them toys to play with.. just wish I had one and some land to play on.. keep the great videos coming I'll be watching them all! ✌️ Brother!
Yeah i have to agree,he'll want a thumb for sure.the cool thing about this machine is the power and size just pulls huge deep stumps out with ease.but they pile up real quick.a seconnd rig with a thumb for loading will fix that lot in a hurry. I run a 346b and its a BEAST.😱GOOD LUCK BUUUD
It sure could do with a thumb Out of curiosity I did a search for one here in Australia For the 2014 caterpillar 349e It would cost $394.900 From the first site I pulled up A lot of ponds would be needed to be dug! Tony from Western Australia 🇦🇺
Watching that CAT fight the stumps shows that brute force is often not enough. Skill is needed as well, and Chris has plenty. . Fortunately, we’ve seen him do far more with far less. Wait a minute. Did I hear somebody say he was on vacation? That’s Chris, alright 😀!
I think that's the first excavator I've seen on here which doesn't have a thumb. Other way round in the UK, where hardly any have them, despite their utility.
Depends on what they are used for. A big machine like this with that bucket is most likely going to be digging and moving dirt so a thumb isn't needed.
It amazes me how you looked a little jerky for like a minute then immediately started modifying your inputs to match the Cats control sensitivity and you smoothed right out.
Hi Chris, Not having a thumb is a bit of a disadvantage, and like you I would have thought a machine, basicallly double the size of yours would demolish the stumps. The dirt looks pretty hard though. That is a large bucket. I agree with your comment on digging ponds, it certainly woudn't float very well.
Many years ago I was watching a PBS show, which featured your grandfather as a brand ambassador for an excavator don't remember the brand,but it also featured you as the operator. I think you were 14 or 15 at the time. Do you remember this? WHAT brand was it? I don't think it was Volvo. I really enjoyed that show. Your granddad was sure proud of you, I remember him say it was so easy to run even my young grandson can Operate it. You have become one hell of an operator my friend. Keep up the good work. By the way you are much better digging stumps with your machine.
OK, it's BIG and all, but it seems to be missing any soul. Your machines have soul, and it shows. But yeah, it is BIG. Thanks for sharing Chris. Be well. ;)
Bigger machines run slower(most of the time). Going from a CAT 345 to a Hitachi 870 for the first time was a shock to me, to say the least. It felt soooo slow. Then… I realized how much material I was moving in a single pass. But getting into larger excavators, when you’re used to smaller and faster machines, can be a bit of a shock at first. You sometimes feel like you’re not as productive. I sometimes felt like I could eat half an apple while slowly swinging from hole to truck when using an 870. 😂 It feels super slow when you’re reaching down a bench and have to bring the bucket all the way back up and then up again to get into your truck. I feel ya bud.
You have to dig a little distance away from the stump . The way he is doing it can break any machine you have to cut the roots first then the stump will pop out Sumps are in the ground solidly that is how trees hold up to most wind
That big ass bucket doesn’t do that 349 justice on those stumps at all. I’m not a cat man but I’ve been on a 349 and it’s a monster. Big step up from the 16-24 ton machines that I’m usually on.
Used a hatichi 225 with a thumb and you can pop em out like potatoes. Grab ahold of it wiggle back an forth and out it comes. Size doesn’t always matter
I realize that the huge bucket may not be good for stump work but was still surprised at the be effort needed for getting the stump out. I believe that the Volvo 220 or 250 with the stumping tool and hyd thumb gives the giant Cat a run for it's money
Another point that DP points out about bigger not always being better. Maybe with better attachments that monster might perform better. But I believe that your 220 and especially the 250 can out perform.
I always wondered if a 300 series could out dig Chris’s 220 Volvo. I was really surprised the CAT didn’t do any better than it did. In all fairness the dirt looked like it was much harder to dig than the more sandy dirt Chris usually digs. Like Chris has said many times… for what he does the 220 is hard to beat. The most surprising part of this video is seeing Chris smiling as he was about to go dig more stumps… 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't everything proportional. Even though it's a bigger machine with the bigger bucket you still run into the same amount of resistance per sq foot. Same with the weight, it doesn't matter the overall weight of the machine, it's how much per sq foot on the tracks.
Yes to a point but... because this a 60 Ton machine and Chris 220 Volvo is around 30 Ton but this Cat does not have double the surface area on its tracks as the Volvo so the ground PSI is still higher on the CAT. Volvo 220 = 55,350 Lbs CAT 349= 117,500 Lbs
Imagine how big or long or both that thumb would have to be would have to be to cover that bucket that is insane how big that stuff is the 5th I used to like watching your demoing of the house with the camera on the inside as you reach through the window with yours how how huge that bucket is yes and this bucket's bigger wow
Great job buddy and great video as always buddy 😎👊🏻👍🏻 Love how you said anvil love how Kyle said high five chris and love how you said she got a big booty lol 😂
The reason Chris has the 220 is because of it's speed. I remember him saying it when he first got the Excavator. "This might be the worst financial decision i ever made" lol Glad you were wrong Chris.
@@bruces2665 for sure, but to expand you either go up or add a 2nd machine. If you notice Chris only moves his Machines from Site to site. Very Rarely are they brought back home. That way the cost falls upon each contract.
@@bruces2665 the 349 has a Removable counter weight. I don't remember how much the counterweight weights is but it's in the neighborhood of 20k. Still leaves 90k
